Climate-induced range shifts shaped the present and threaten the future genetic variability of a marine brown alga in the Northwest Pacific.

ABSTRACT: Glaciation-induced environmental changes during the last glacial maximum (LGM) have strongly influenced species' distributions and genetic diversity patterns in the northern high latitudes. However, these effects have seldom been assessed on sessile species in the Northwest Pacific. Herein, we chose the brown alga Sargassum thunbergii to test this hypothesis, by comparing present population genetic variability with inferred geographical range shifts from the LGM to the present, estimated with species distribution modelling (SDM). Projections for contrasting scenarios of future climate change were also developed to anticipate genetic diversity losses at regional scales. Results showed that S. thunbergii harbours strikingly rich genetic diversity and multiple divergent l

SUBMITTER: Song XH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8288013 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature